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Addis Ababa Part 1: Religion, Rulers and Relics

Updated: Jun 6


Ethiopia is a land-locked country located in the Horn of Africa, an eastern region of the continent. It is the oldest, independent, African country, and is the second most populated, following Nigeria. Ethiopia is also the only country in all of Africa that never fell under formal, colonial rule.

I visited Ethiopia a few months ago, in 2016. That is not a typo. So, how is this possible? Ethiopia runs on its own calendar which is 13, rather than 12 months long. As such, I was instantly almost a decade younger, upon touching down on Ethiopian soil. How's that for finding the fountain of youth?


View of Addis Ababa from Mount Entoto

Addis Ababa, which means "new flower," is the capital of Ethiopia. It is located in the center of the country and is the highest capital city on the African continent, and the fifth highest capital in the world. My lungs took note of this almost as soon as I arrived.


Mount Entoto

Within Addis Ababa, you'll find Mount Entoto, the highest peak in the city. From this point, 10,499 feet above sea level, you can see the skyline of Addis Ababa in the distance.


Faith

Ethiopia is home to one of the oldest forms of Christianity in the world. Though ancient, this form of Christianity is by no means a relic.


St. George Church

At St. George Church in Addis Ababa, Orthodox Christianity is still practiced today. This octagonal church was commissioned by Emperor Menelik II in 1896 and completed in 1911. It is one of Ethiopia's most beautiful and important churches.


Throughout the church you will find, among other items, beautiful ecclesiastical paintings.


Queen of Sheba visiting King Solomon

One of my favorites, was this piece depicting the Queen of Sheba's visit with King Solomon, during which she came bearing gifts and seeking his wisdom (1 Kings 10).


Haile Selassie, who served as the Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930-1974, was crowned at St. George Church. Selassie was a descendant of King Solomon and was the last reigning monarch of Ethiopia's Solomonic Dynasty.


Coronation Robe of Haile Selassie

On site at St. George's Church, you will find the garments that Selassie wore during his coronation.


 Umbrella of Haile Selassie

The umbrella above, and the ones below, were used to cover Haile Selassie.


The Ethiopian Orthodox Church believes that the umbrellas signify the presence of the Holy Spirit. They were once used to cover rulers, but that practice stopped many years ago. Today, these decorative umbrellas are used during religious ceremonies.


Addis Ababa University

Addis Ababa University

The Addis Ababa University was founded in 1950 as University College of Addis Ababa. It was later renamed Haile Selassie University after Haile Selassie, the son of Ras and Lij Tafari Makonnen, born Tafari Makonnen, on July 23, 1892.


The University is the oldest in Ethiopia. It has 13 campuses, 12 of which are located in Addis Ababa.


Institute of Ethiopian Studies

Though it is no longer called Haile Selassie University, Addis Ababa University's Institute of Ethiopian Studies, still celebrates the contributions of Emperor Haile Selassie.

The Institute is also the one time residence of the Emperor.

Haile Selassie's Military Uniform

"Haile Selassie," is a name that the Emperor assumed after his ascension. It roughly translates to "Might of the Trinity" in Ge'ez, an Ethiopian language.


Bedroom of Haile Selassie

Haile Selassie was actually born, Tafari Makonnen, as mentioned above. When he began serving as a regional governor, the title "Ras," a title similar to "Chief," was added to his name. It was through Selassie, that Rastafarianism was birthed. It all began with a Jamaica-born activist named Marcus Garvey who proclaimed in 1920, "Look to Africa, when a black king shall be crowned, for the day of deliverance is at hand."


Throne of Haile Selassie

About a decade later, Ras Tafari Makonnen (Haile Selassie) was crowned Emperor in Ethiopia. Selassie's coronation, in conjunction with Garvey's prophesy, ushered in the belief that European domination, over Africans worldwide, would be coming to an end.


Rastafarians, living predominately in Jamaica, venerated Selassie as "god" or "Jah," postulating that he is an incarnation of god. Rastafarianism adopted the colors of the Ethiopian flag for the movement, and incorporated an array of beliefs, some coming from the Bible's Old Testament and others, like the belief in the spiritual power of marijuana, promoted locally.


Rastafarian practices spread in the 1950s - 1970s as Jamaicans immigrated to the U.S., Canada, and England. Around this time, Rastafarianism found perhaps its most important envoy in Bob Marley, a Rastafarian convert and the founder of reggae music.

Though Selassie respected the movement, he did not participate in it, and remained a Christian throughout his life.


Gillo

Whether by the Ethiopian people, or through those in the Rastafarian movement, Haile Selassie was revered. As such, he received many gifts during his reign, some of which I was able to view at the Institute of African Studies. This lion named Gillo, was stuffed and mounted after its death and given to His Majesty Haile Selassie by the people of Gambella, a region of Ethiopia.


Selassie's gifts were not just limited to those by his own countrymen. In this video you will see a collection of gifts presented to him from officials in India, Japan, Italy, France, Greece, China, Russia and more.


National Museum of Ethiopia

From Addis Ababa University, I went to visit the National Museum of Ethiopia.


The museum is located near Addis Ababa University's graduate school.


The museum features four floors, each with a different focus.


Crowns of Ethiopian Leaders

This collection of crowns includes those worn by Emperor Yohannes IV, Emperor Menelik II, Empress Taitu Bitul and Emperor Haile Selassie.


Lucy

The most famous exhibit in the museum is "Lucy," the partial skeleton of what is believed to be the oldest hominid. The bone fragments above, represent 40% of a complete skeleton.


If all pieces of the skeleton were found and recovered, some scientists and paleontologists believe that the display above would accurately represent Lucy's body.


African Heritage

My favorite piece in the museum, was this oil painting entitled "African Heritage" by artist, Afewerk Tekle.


Nobel Peace Prize

I ended my tour of the museum viewing this Nobel Peace Prize that was awarded to Abiy Ahmed, who became Ethiopia's third prime minister in 2018. Ahmed received the coveted Nobel Peace Prize in October 2019, for finally bringing an end to the 20-year rancor between Ethiopia and Eritrea. This one-time global icon of non-violence, fell from grace however, when he launched a military offensive in 2020 against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the former ruling party of Ethiopia.


That concludes this portion of my Addis Ababa adventure. Next up, I get to tour more of the city and see various monuments, visit the largest market in all of Africa, and eat Ethiopian food, in its place of origin.


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